A lawsuit filed on behalf of Tennessee taxpayers against Oxycontin-maker Purdue Pharma in May reveals company records that lay bare how a giant of Big Pharma intentionally fueled the opioid epidemic to snare profits.

Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III filed in Knox County Circuit Court in May a lawsuit against the drug-maker under seal. Purdue fought to keep it that way – until attorney Rick Hollow intervened on behalf of the News Sentinel and the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government. The lawsuit was made public Thursday.

It contains records from inside Purdue, including “call notes” from sales representatives and an interview with a retiree of the drug maker. Here are three key discoveries Slatery’s office made when it required Purdue to turn over those records as part of a prior lawsuit settlement:

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Inmate Crystal French, 38, left, is comforted by cellmate Krystle Sweat, 32, at the Campbell County Jail in Jacksboro, Tenn., Tuesday, March 30, 2018, after French was denied parole the previous day. She won't be eligible again for another year. "I got to know the real me again instead of the addicted-to-drugs person. I'd like to be a productive citizen, not an OD statistic, end up dying on drugs," said French, whose two sons are being raised by her ex-husband. "I am a good person. I know I am. But I want to see that person again." (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Jessica Morgan, high on methamphetamines and the opioid pain medication Opana, sits in a holding cell after being booked for drug possession at the Campbell County Jail in Jacksboro, Tenn., Monday, April 23, 2018. More than a decade ago, there were rarely more than 10 women in this jail. Now the population is routinely around 60. (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Linda Green is arrested on charges of assault on a police officer and disorderly conduct as police attempted to apprehend her son, who was wanted for an outstanding warrant in LaFollette, Tenn., Wednesday, March 14, 2018. Green, who has struggled with drug addiction, has been arrested more than 50 times in Campbell County. The opioid crisis is putting more women behind bars across the U.S. _ tearing apart families and squeezing communities that lack treatment programs and permanent solutions. In this jail, many female inmates have long-term addiction problems. (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Inmate Mary Sammons, 41, right, helps cover Linda Green, 51, with a blanket as she lies down in the Campbell County Jail after being arrested on charges of public intoxication, a parole violation, in Jacksboro, Tenn., Thursday, March 29, 2018. Green first got hooked on drugs when she was given Xanax over 20 years ago during a custody battle to keep her kids. She says she used to shoplift to support them. "It was either sell my body or steal from a store and I'm not one to sell my body. I had to do what I had to do," said Green. "When I had my kids, I stole to support my children. After I lost them I stole to support my drug habit." (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Inmate Mary Sammons, 41, foreground, is comforted in the Campbell County Jail in Jacksboro, Tenn., Wednesday, March 28, 2018, by cellmate Blanche Ball, 30, days after Sammons learned that her 20-year-old son was murdered in Kentucky. Sammons, who was arrested on drug-related charges, suspects her son's murder was drug-related. "I always pictured my kids burying me, not me having to bury my children. Young kids are losing their life over bad dope. This is crazy. It's so not worth it. He was a pretty boy. He was beautiful." (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Linda Green, 51, who has struggled with drug addiction, cries as she's booked into the Campbell County Jail after being arrested on charges of public intoxication, a parole violation, in Jacksboro, Tenn., Thursday, March 29, 2018. Women in jail are the fastest-growing correctional population in America. Between 1980 and 2009, the arrest rate for drug possession or use tripled for women, while it doubled for men. Opioid abuse has exacerbated the problem. (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Samantha Marlow brushes her teeth in a distorted metal mirror in her cell at the Campbell County Jail in Jacksboro, Tenn., Tuesday, May 8, 2018. Medical costs for both male and female inmates have nearly doubled since 2015, to top $1 million in 2017, according to county officials. Hepatitis, infections and dental problems are among the medical issues inmates have encountered. (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Names are etched in a metal table as inmates play cards in the Campbell County Jail in Jacksboro, Tenn., Thursday, March 15, 2018. Inmates are confined to dormitory-like cells 23 hours a day, where they watch TV, play endless games of cards or pace in silent frustration, counting the days until their release. (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Inmate Blanche Ball, 30, performs her rendition of a turtle on its back for cellmates at the Campbell County Jail in Jacksboro, Tenn., Tuesday, March 20, 2018. Inmates sleep, shower and eat in the same room. On their one hour outside the cell, they can visit an exercise room, but it has no equipment, so the women improvise, rolling toilet paper into balls they swat around, using their plastic sandals as makeshift tennis rackets. (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Inmate Tara White, 28, second from left, reacts to hearing her cousin was arrested as she watches the local news in her cell at the Campbell County Jail in Jacksboro, Tenn., Tuesday, March 20, 2018. Every evening around dinnertime, inmates gather around a small television mounted high on the wall to listen to the police log and obituary notices. It's often the main source for inmates to find out if anyone they know has been arrested or died from an overdose. (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Linda Green, 51, cries in her home while awaiting trial after her latest arrest on charges of public intoxication in LaFollette, Tenn., Tuesday, March 27, 2018. "I've had a hard life. I'm on the edge. I feel like I'm going to have a nervous breakdown. ... Sometimes I want to go back on drugs just to numb the pain," she says. Green has been arrested more than 50 times in Campbell County on a range of charges from drug possession to theft. (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Robby Wilson, 10, plays basketball with his grandparents Cathy, right and Eddy Sweat, who have custody of him in Jacksboro, Tenn., Monday, April 23, 2018. Their daughter, Robby's mother, Krystle Sweat, sits in jail a mile away. The Sweats have raised Krystle's son since he was about 3. Over the years, they've paid her rent, bought her cars, and invited her and her boyfriend to share their home. She wound up stealing tools, a computer and camera _ anything she could pawn. (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

A correctional officer searches a cell on suspicion that meth was sneaked into the Campbell County Jail in Jacksboro, Tenn., Wednesday, March 28, 2018. Many of the inmates are addicts. Of the charges landing women in the county jail, 85-to-90 percent are drug-related. The women receive no counseling. Then weeks, months or years later, they're released into the same community where friends _ and in some cases, family _ are using drugs. Soon they are again, too. (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Tammy Perry, 53, walks down a street in LaFollette, Tenn., where she is currently staying with an older man after getting out of jail, Monday, April 23, 2018. Perry still struggles with drug addiction and says she exchanges sex for drugs or money to support her addiction. Her daughter also struggles with addiction and both have been in jail at the same time. (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Inmate Krystle Sweat lays in bed before falling asleep in her cell at the Campbell County Jail in Jacksboro, Tenn., Monday, April 23, 2018. For years now, she has cycled in and out of jail, arrested more than two dozen times for robbery, driving violations and other crimes _ almost all related to her drug addiction that culminated in a $300-a-day pain pill habit. Sweat's tried to quit, but nothing has worked. Now she says she's ready to make the break when she's paroled again, possibly this summer. "I'm almost 33," she says. "I don't want to continue living like this. I want to be someone my family can count on." (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Tammy Perry, 53, walks through the street in LaFollette, Tenn., where she is currently staying with an older man after getting out of jail, Monday, April 23, 2018. Perry says she exchanges sex for money or drugs to support her addiction. "I'm scared of a new start," said Perry when asked if she ever thought about leaving the county where she grew up to start over in different surroundings. “I'm scared of failing. I'm scared of feeling worse than what I was." (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

From left, cellmates Elsie Kniffen, 39, Mary Sammons, 41, Blanche Ball, 30 and Sarai Keelean, 35, join hands after a prayer in the Campbell County Jail in Jacksboro, Tenn., Tuesday, March 20, 2018. Many of the women say jail should help prepare them for life outside, maybe with a Narcotics Anonymous group, counseling or education programs such as those offered in state prisons. Lt. Mallory Campbell, assistant jail administrator says she'd like to offer college courses or vocational training because "if they don't leave here with a skill, they're going to go back to what they know." But there isn't money for programs or staff. (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Danny Peters, 61, get his sons Journey, 10, and Chance, 8, background, ready for bed in LaFollette, Tenn., Wednesday, March 28, 2018, as he cares for them while his ex-wife and the boys' mother, Crystal French, serves time in the Campbell County Jail. "It's been tough. She was a supermom," said Peters. "That's probably when it hurts the most. A mommy's love is the thing I can't give them." (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

An addiction recovery sign stands beside a road in LaFollette, Tenn., Wednesday, April 11, 2018. In 2015, Campbell County had the third-highest amount of opioids prescribed per person among all U.S. counties, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pills, though, aren't the only problem. With 500 square miles of mountains, thick woods, winding back roads and deep hollows, this county on the Kentucky border has been a prime spot, too, for meth. While homegrown labs are on the wane, a powerful strain of the drug from Mexico has found its way here. (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Photos of Robby Wilson, 10, left, as a baby with his parents, are held by his grandfather, Eddy Sweat, who is raising his grandson while the boy's parents are in jail in Jacksboro, Tenn., Monday, April 23, 2018. The absence of his mother, Krystle Sweat, has taken its toll on Robby, says his grandmother, Cathy Sweat. "Even at his happiest," she says, "he's not happy." (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Inmate Krystle Sweat blows a kiss to her son Robby, 10, during a video conference as he visits her at the Campbell County Jail in Jacksboro, Tenn., Wednesday, March 28, 2018. There are no face-to-face visits other than exceptional circumstances. Robby hasn't hugged or even touched his mother since Christmas Day 2015, just before Sweat wound up back behind bars. He says that on the day she's released, he wants to show her how he can ride no-hands on his bike. Sweat laughs but knows their reunion must wait. (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Tammy Perry, 53, sits outside the apartment she is staying in after getting released from jail, as a homeless friend is kicked out by the tenant in LaFollette, Tenn., Monday, April 23, 2018. "That's the only thing I would change about my whole life is the first time I did drugs," said Perry, whose daughter is currently in jail and also is an addict. (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

1. Pill pushing force

Purdue’s own records show company founders and executives pressed its sales team to push Tennessee doctors to prescribe deadly dosages of Oxycontin on a long-term basis while lying to doctors about the dangers.

Purdue’s sales force made over 100 calls to Tennessee doctors every day for years and even after Purdue promised the state it would stop pushing the highly addictive and dangerous drug.

In an effort to combat the growing epidemic of prescription drug and heroin abuse, the FBI and DEA have released "Chasing the Dragon: The Life of an Opiate Addict," a documentary aimed at educating students and young adults about addiction.
FBI

2. False narratives, advocacy groups

Purdue leaders lied to the medical community, politicians and the public not only about the dangers of Oxycontin but created a false narrative – that long-term use of opioids didn’t create addicts but instead caused “pseudo addictive” symptoms.

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Inmate Michelle Tickle, 38, is photographed in her cell at the Campbell County Jail in Jacksboro, Tenn., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. "I started using drugs when I was 27. When that's all you do for so long and that's all you surround yourself with, it's all you know. I don't know why I keep doing the things I do. I've detoxed hundreds of times. It's going to kill me if I keep getting high. I want to get sober. I do. It's just I need to change everything. I would need a lot of structure in my life. I would love to be sober and working and being a good person in a community. I would love for that." (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Inmate Michelle Leopard, 38, is photographed in her cell at the Campbell County Jail in Jacksboro, Tenn., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. Leopard estimates she's been in and out the jail 30-40 times. "We've always been a happy family and then it seems like we moved to Campbell County and everything just started falling apart. I don't know if it's because of the drugs here but it pulls you in. The air is different here. It smothers you. You can't get away from it. Down here there is no kind of resources for women to get the help that they need. (I'm) always scared about ending up back in jail." (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Inmate April Bowlin, 34, is photographed in her cell at the Campbell County Jail in Jacksboro, Tenn., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. "I got addicted to drugs when I was 24 and after that my life just went downhill. I lost my kids. Came to jail, went to prison, just lost everything. I'm sick and tired. I'm tired of the addiction. I just don't think people should give up, it's possible. I'm not going to give up. I got to fight for me. Nobody else is going to." (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Inmate Blanche Ball, 30, is photographed inside her cell at the Campbell County Jail in Jacksboro, Tenn., Wednesday April 18, 2018. Ball says she grew up around relatives using drugs and learned to cook meth as a teen. "I have no willpower whatsoever. The only thing that has been able to stop it is actually my incarceration. For me, that's just been a way of life. ... I know I could have done something with my life. I didn't. I'm very emotional. I take things very hard. ... my mother actually said to me once, you're never going to quit. you're just hardwired for it. Those were her exact words and I've used those words ever since. I thought, ‘You're right.’" (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Inmate Amanda Morris, 32, is photographed in her cell at the Campbell County Jail in Jacksboro, Tenn., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. "My hope is I don't come back to jail and I can be a mom to my kids again and that I can stay sober. I really want it this time. It's really eating on me. I just turned 32 and I'm running out of time. If these are my good years, I'm letting them pass me by." (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Inmate Christy Wilson, 29, is photographed inside her cell at the Campbell County Jail in Jacksboro, Tenn., Wednesday April 18, 2018. "One of the things that bothers me the most is my son came to visit me in jail and he was like,' Mom, please don't make me come and visit you here again.’ It's hard. To see that little face, that gives me all the strength I need. How could you do something like that to someone you love so dearly? It's not the you don't love your kids but the addiction takes hold of you and you'll do anything you have to do to get it. It's a vicious cycle that never ends unless you quit drugs." (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Inmate Crystal French, 38, is photographed in her cell at the Campbell County Jail in Jacksboro, Tenn., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. "I got to know the real me again instead of the addicted to drugs person. I had a lot of anger issues before. I'm working on them still. I'd like to be a productive citizen, not an OD statistic, end up dying on drugs. I am a good person. I know I am. But I want to see that person again." (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Inmate Anesha Bell, 24, is photographed in her cell at the Campbell County Jail in Jacksboro, Tenn., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. "I've wanted to quit but I always wanted someone to care about me enough for me to want to quit. My mother was never there. My dad was never there. I just didn't care. I've always wanted to die. And this time I have my boyfriend and that's why I feel like whenever I get out of this place this time I feel like there's hope for me." (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Inmate Nickie Worley, 26, is photographed in her cell at the Campbell County Jail in Jacksboro, Tenn., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. "I've made things difficult on my family like the people I've hurt. My dad is actually fighting stage 4 cancer. Being in here and having that fear of losing him while I'm in here and on top of that I leave him with my two of my little kids _ that is the hardest thing. I'm wasting away and I'm wasting my family away. I'm hurting them more than I'm hurting myself. It's time for me to grow up. I've had time to wake up and realize life is too short." (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Inmate Sarai Keelean, 35, is photographed in her cell at the Campbell County Jail in Jacksboro, Tenn., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. "The other night I had a panic attack because it's getting close to getting out. At 3 a.m., I was freaking out. I just feel socially awkward to go out there and be normal and do right. You've been out of that for nearly six, seven years now. I'm really anxious and panicky and nervous and scared." (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Inmate Mary Sammons, 41, holds a picture of her son, Micah, 20, who was murdered March 23, as she is photographed in her cell at the Campbell County Jail in Jacksboro, Tenn., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. Sammons suspects her son’s murder was drug-related. “I always pictured my kids burying me, not me having to bury my children. Young kids are losing their life over bad dope. This is crazy. It’s so not worth it. He was a pretty boy. He was beautiful.” (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Inmate Tasha Green, 29, is photographed inside her cell at the Campbell County Jail in Jacksboro, Tenn., Wednesday April 18, 2018. Green started using drugs a few years ago when she got hooked on painkillers while being treated for a dental problem. "You can say that you're going to do the right thing but it's hard to tell until you do get out of here of what choices you're going to make. I'm scared for my life right now because I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm scared, I think about my kids. Are they going to be mad at me when I see them, if I get to see them? My kids mean the world to me. They're the reason why I want to try to do better in my life." (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Inmate Lauren Jones, 28, is photographed in her cell at the Campbell County Jail in Jacksboro, Tenn., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. "The way I was living is not worth losing everything. I want to have a good career going for myself. I want to be able to be proud of who I am and be able to support my children and myself the way I should. I no longer have the desire, the want or the need to live the life I had. I have too many precious things at home that I'm missing out right now." (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

Inmate Krystle Sweat, 33, is photographed in her cell at the Campbell County Jail in Jacksboro, Tenn., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. "I'm so thankful that he (her son, Robby) still loves me. He's disappointed in me. ... He doesn't say that he is, but I know he is. I hope that eventually he will be able to somewhat understand why I've completely went off the wrong path, but I hope that he can see it as a lesson for himself that he will never stray down this path." (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman, AP

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Purdue’s records show the drug maker created fake advocacy groups – some of which specifically targeted the elderly and veterans.

3. Advocating for addiction

The groups sought to convince the public they had a right to opioids. Tennessee’s legislature was pushed by one of those advocacy groups to pass a law requiring doctors to prescribe opioids if a patient insisted.